Cardboard Paper Mache Dinosaur Mask

I spent the last few days rushing my assignment for  'Arts In Education' subject. I am supposed to plan strategic lesson plans by integrating music, art, and movements into classroom activities. Therefore, I decided to make a cardboard paper mache dinosaur mask as one of my teaching aids.

STEP-BY-STEP:

1. First, here are the things that you will need throughout the process:

• Scissors 
• Craft knife
• Stapler
• Cardboard
• White A4 paper or newspaper
• Raw Flour
• Water
• Color spray
• Felt cloth

2. Prepare the main body for your mask. Like this:

3. Add the upper part (which will be the head of the dinosaur) to the main body.

4. Cut out cardboard strips, and staple them to the mask, as shown below.

5. Next, get ready a stack of A4 paper or newspaper ( I personally prefer A4 paper) and prepare your paper mache paste. Pour a moderate amount of raw flour into a large container/bucket, and add water gradually until you have a consistency that will work well.

How thick should you make your paste? It’s actually up to you. Experiment with thick pastes that resemble hotcake batter, and thin pastes that are runny and watery. You get to decide which ones you prefer.

6. Dip your strips of paper into the flour paste mixture and paste them all over your cardboard mask.

7. Spray your mask with any color you want. If you like a cute feminine dinosaur, you can always go for pink! After that, don't forget to cut out the sharp teeth and eyes for your dinosaur, you don't want it to be blind and toothless.

WEIS CAFE

    Malaysia’s coffee culture is not new, it just evolved from kopi-o to cappuccinos and lattes; from market coffee stalls to artisan cafes.

    Last night, Sean, Wen and I went coffee hopping at WEIS Cafe, which is strategically located at Taman Flora Utama, Batu Pahat. The signboard is black and it is huge, you can't miss it.

WEIS

Mad love the grungy walls!

Killer Iced Classic Chocolate, Flat White, and New York Cheesecake. 

Customers are given free sky juice.

Address: 27A, Jalan Flora Utama 6, Taman Flora Utama

Batu Pahat

Opening Hours: 15:00 - 00:00

Price Range: $$

Stop Worrying. Live Your Life.

    Homesick to such a great extent that I sobbed bitterly under my blankets last night. Not just missing my family, I miss my boyfriend too. I wonder why am I such a cry baby.

   It has been approximately 3 months since I left home for a new semester in college, although I get to fly back with AirAsia (thank you for the low fares at times) 4 times a year, while some of my friends studying overseas only meet their families once a year, I am still stuck in a homesick misery.

    I am always a loner here in college. It seems like I could not find a niche in this sick place. I know I sounded pessimistic, truth is lonely people tend to interpret situations more negatively. I used to try so hard to fit in, I tried to please every single soul until one day I realized it is time to stop being silly. Whoever likes me, they will; whoever doesn't, they will not even if I offer them the whole world. It is not possible to please everyone, no matter what you do or what you try or how nice you are to them.

    But the Bible says you don't need to please everybody. "It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you." (Proverbs 29:25 LB). It's an emotional trap when you start worrying about what other people think. For instance, there was once I rejected a dinner invitation from a friend just because I was worried about what would my other friends think about me because they weren't invited. And it turned out, they went out without asking me either. Oh that was so foolish of me!

    Even God can't please everybody. This person prays for rain over Kuching city, the other person prays for a sunny weather because she wants to go to the beach, then another prays for rain in the morning and sun in the afternoon. See? Even God can't please everybody.  Only a fool would try to do what even God can't do.

    I am trying to dislodge the worries and over-concern I have for other people.  After all this is my life, and if I do not make it a colorful one, who else would paint it bright for me?

 
 

Bibimbap 비빔밥 at Home !

Bibimbap is one of my favourite Korean dishes, and it is super easy to prepare.
I am going to share with you my version of Bibimbap.

First, the ingredients you'll need are as follows:

1. Sushi rice and Fragrant rice ( sushi rice is not compulsory though, just for a better texture.)
2. Canned Corns
3. Carrots
4. Cucumber
5. Bean Sprouts
6. Chicken breast cubes
7. Roasted Seaweed
8. Eggs
9. Sesame Seed
10. Sesame Oil
11. and of course... GOCHUJANG! (bibimbap sauce)

** I did not specifically suggest the exact amount of each ingredient needed, it depends on how many servings you intend to prepare.

STEP-BY-STEP!

1. First, cook your rice. Leave it to cook while you get ready the other ingredients.
2. Unleash your carrot-grating skills! 
3. Cut your cucumber into thin strips. Remove the cucumber seeds.
4. Get ready a pan, heat up, pour a small amount of oil and stir-fry the carrots. 
5. Set the carrots aside, be sure not to mix the ingredients together!
6. Stir-fry cucumber. You may add a pinch of salt if you want to.
7. Set the cucumber aside.
8. Stir-fry bean sprouts.
9. Set the bean sprouts aside.
10. Marinate your chicken breast cubes with light soya sauce. Leave it for 5 minutes.
11. Coat your chicken breast cubes with fried chicken seasoning powder. (I use Kentucky's)
12. Deep fry your chicken breast cubes until golden brown.
13. Now your rice should be done by now. 
14. Place rice in a bowl.
15. Start to top rice with the carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, corn, and chicken breast cubes.
16. Top with strips of roasted seaweed too!
17. Fry eggs sunny side up and place on top.
18. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over. (Generous amount)
19. Pour in sesame oil. (To your liking)
20. Add gochujang sauce and stir to combine.
21. TADA! You can dive in now.

SUPER EASY even amateur cooks can do it right!

This is my version of homecook Bibimbap.
Miso soup on the left!

How To Deal With Friendship Issues? - A Christian Approach.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

What just ran across your mind when you read the word above? You and your buddy watching football games till morning? You and your BFF trying out overpriced dresses and take selfies in the fitting room? You and your gang gossiping about everyone else outside your circle? Or perhaps, you and your best friend fighting over trivial affairs?

    No doubt, we all have friends. We all do. If not a hundred, then at least we have one or two. But it doesn't matter how many friends you have, some point in life you are going to have friendship plights. Nobody wants it to happen, but it is totally inevitable. Some friendships typically fall to pieces due to stupid fights, some break down because of overwhelming jealousy, some betrayals, some distance, and......... It is actually hard to generalize about friendship issues.

    When you really do care about your friend, these heart staggering situations can kill you. Imagine if your best friend sold your secrets to another person, or gossiped about your personal affairs, or threw a tantrum for peanuts. Well of course not everybody can be affected by friendship complications, some don't give a heck, while some care way too much.

Proverbs 17:17

    Now, how do we deal with friendship issues? Yes crying our lungs out is an option, but crying doesn't make the misery pass from sight. As a Christian myself, the first thing that we should do is PRAY. 

    1. Talk to God about it. Before you do anything else, pray. Don't shout at your friend, don't run to an empty room and burst your heart out, most importantly don't go away scattering titter-tatter about your friend. Calm down, take a deep breath, and think "What would Jesus do?".

    2. Reflect on Bible verses about friendships. There are actually many teachings about friendships in the Bible. Here is a short list of bible verses about it.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 

Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Proverbs 17:9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 16:28 A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 

These are the verses I reflect about when I fall into the dark pit. 

    3. Let Jesus be your best friend. Yeah I know, Jesus cannot be physically present to share our joy and sorrows, we cannot go on a shopping spree with Him, we cannot talk over coffee and toast and the cafe, we cannot even see Him. BUT, he is always present. Where? In our hearts. We can feel Him, and we can hear Him too! He is forever loyal, patient, kind, and most of all He would never hurt us.

What a friend we have in Jesus

    4. Final step. What to do about it? First, think about the whole dreadful situation that just happened. maybe your friend did not mean to break your heart. Maybe there is an unknown story behind? Always examine, before you judge. If you still feel incredibly uneasy, why not talk to your friend about it? Sort things out together and share your thoughts. 

    No man can live alone. But Robinson Crusoe did! Yes he did but I am pretty sure he must have been lonely. To have true friends, you must first be one. Doesn't matter if nobody takes you to heart, it's okay if you cannot find your niche, you still have Jesus. AMEN????

Confession

    Being a cradle catholic, I am always proud to declare my faith in public. Yes, I am a Catholic. Although I cannot label myself godly and pure, but at least I do acknowledge God as my creator and Jesus as my lord and savior. I will never trade my faith for something else.

    I went for confession last Saturday. What is a confession? Confession is one of the least understood of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. In reconciling us to God, it is a great source of grace, and Catholics are encouraged to take advantage of it often. What makes it so special is that, only Catholics receive this sacrament, as other Christians do not believe in it. Some claimed that we Catholics are lunatics, confessing sins to a mortal priest, that we do not follow the teachings of the Bible. (However, traditional or "high" Episcopalians have confessions. The Lutherans also have a ritual for reconciliation.) 

 BUT! In fact,  this institution occurred on Easter Sunday, when Christ first appeared to the apostles after his Resurrection. Breathing on them, he said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).  Jesus Christ himself gave his apostles authority to forgive sins. Amen?

   However, venial sins can be confessed directly to God, but for grave or mortal sins, which crush the spiritual life out of the soul, must be confessed. After confession, the priest would give penance.
(An act of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing)    

Confessional Room

    When I entered the room and murmured " In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Bless me Father, for I have sinned." , my lips started to quiver and tears began to form. I could somehow sense God's mercy within me. 

    Although we humans are not made perfect. We sin. We fall. But if we are really sorry for all the wrongdoings we have done, God is always ready to show mercy, to forgive us. Why? Because He loves us. 

    If you are a Catholic, think, when was your last confession?